Background on Carpool Lanes
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carpool lane is a dedicated freeway lane that is restricted to vehicles
occupied by a required number of passengers -- usually two, but in some
cases three. Recent changes in California legislation allow certain alternative
fuel vehicles certified as ultra low emission to use carpool lanes, regardless
of the number of occupants. These lanes are open only to carpool traffic,
24 hours per day, seven days per week.
Carpool lanes provide a reliable way to travel for commuters who share rides, ride the bus, or drive ultra-low emission vehicles. These lanes provide a strong incentive for people to rideshare and leave their cars at home. Today, the Southern California carpool system carries more people than any other carpool system in the United States and is one of the few systems in the country that has been able to sustain growth.
SANBAG, in cooperation with Caltrans, has funded and constructed 43.4 miles of carpool lanes in San Bernardino County and is in various stages of planning, design, and construction for an additional 18 miles of carpool lanes.
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See a map of current and planned carpool lanes in the Southern California metropolitan region (Acrobat pdf file - updated 6/30/03)
The overall goals of carpool lanes are:
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To maximize the people-carrying capacity of freeways by providing incentives to use buses, vanpools, and carpools and
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To boost future freeway capacity.
SANBAG strives to make the best use of existing facilities and to promote future freeway mobility by promoting programs that move more people in fewer vehicles. These programs also reduce pollution and dependency on fossil fuels.
Carpool lanes are designed to:
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Improve the capacity of congested freeways by moving more people per vehicle;
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Save travel time and increase trip reliability for lane users; and
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Provide safe travel options for high occupancy vehicles without compromising the safety of regular freeway lanes.
In developing the carpool lane network, it is recognized that no single strategy will enhance mobility and resolve traffic congestion. Implementing a variety of carpool elements improves the overall efficiency of transportation systems. Examples of support facilities critical to the success of carpool lanes are:
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Carpool direct-access ramps,
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Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications, such as surveillance and carpool ramp bypasses, and
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Support services, such as express buses, ride-matching, parking strategies, incident management and demand management programs.
